Forskolin: Build Muscle, Burn Fat

February 10, 2015

In the quest to find a reliable and trustworthy muscle-building supplement, there is a good chance that you have wasted quite a bit of money on big claims and false promises.

Many companies within the industry feed on the desire for fat loss and muscle gain while offering watered-down supplements at a ridiculous cost. Research studies make the difference when you’re on the hunt for that magic bullet supplement.

One of the most impressive supplement ingredients to hit the market within the past several years is forskolin. This ingredient has shown itself to be reliable in study after study. Whether you want to lose weight, build lean muscle mass, or naturally boost testosterone levels, this supplement could be just the thing you need to succeed.

Let’s take a look at the composition and process of forskolin along with the research-backed benefits it provides.

What is Forskolin?

Forskolin is the name of the chemical found within the roots of the plant Plectranthus barbatus, or more commonly known as Coleus Forskohlii. Forskolin has proven itself to be a valuable medicinal tool within ancient cultures, dating back thousands of years. Forskolin has now made its way into the modern age, specifically within the fitness industry.

The reason forskolin is making such waves is the recent research showing its positive influence on raising thyroid hormone levels as well as testosterone levels. When you promote a natural boost of these two hormones, the result is two-fold: a reduction in body fat and an increase in lean muscle tissue.

How Does Forskolin Work?

Once ingested, forskolin goes through a number of chemical processes. Let’s break each down to help you better understand the course that forskolin takes.

Putting out the call

Forskolin increases the production of an enzyme known as adenylate cyclase. The increased levels of adenylate cyclase directly support a boost in cyclic AMP or cAMP. Cyclic AMP is a part of a group called secondary messengers, which have the responsibility of activating specific hormones and enzymes to play a role in different cellular functions.

The functions that we are going to focus on directly impact body composition. The fascinating part about forskolin is that it can boost levels of cyclic AMP by itself. It needs no assistance from other compounds within the body.

The role of cyclic AMP

Cyclic AMP has several benefits, including preventing clots, lowering blood pressure, and expanding of the blood vessels. While those are important, the two additional benefits that are most interesting are forskolin’s ability to increase thyroid hormone secretion while boosting fat burning.

How cyclic AMP will help you

Regardless of your fitness goals, when you supplement with forskolin, you boost the concentration of cyclic AMP within your body. Cyclic AMP will promote an environment that mimics what you will experience when you are exercising or limiting your caloric intake.

When you make it a part of a healthy diet and comprehensive training program, it will help with the growth of your lean muscle mass and a reduction in body fat.

These are some pretty big claims for a simple ingredient. Lucky for you, these claims are back by solid research. Let’s take a look at a few of these groundbreaking studies as they relate to each benefit.

Benefits of Forskolin

1. Forskolin increases testosterone levels

When you have high concentrations of cyclic AMP in your body, you will notice a boost in your natural testosterone levels. These elevated levels of cyclic AMP mimic the same effect as a luteinizing hormone, also known as an interstitial cell-stimulating hormone.

This type of hormone stimulates the body’s natural production of testosterone. Since cyclic AMP is mimicking this function, your body is increasing its testosterone levels without the use of a third party.

A study published in the Journal of Obesity Research & Clinical Practice took 30 subjects and placed them in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study for 12 weeks. 15 subjects supplemented with forskolin while the other 15 were given a placebo. After the study, the 15 subjects who supplemented with forskolin saw a significant increase in their total testosterone levels. The placebo group actually saw a decrease during the study!

2. Forskolin promotes lean muscle tissue growth

Testosterone is one of the primary fuels for muscle growth, so it’s no surprise that when you boost one, you boost the other. As well, elevated levels of cyclic AMP via forskolin help to boost protein synthesis in the body.

Protein synthesis is key for muscle repair and growth. Working together, elevated protein synthesis with a boost in the body’s testosterone production ensures a noticeable increase in lean muscle tissue.

3. Forskolin reduces overall body fat

If those two benefits weren’t enough, forskolin has been shown to reduce body fat. Cyclic AMP stimulates the production of protein kinases. This compound increases the level of lipases in the body.

Lipases play a role in eliminating triglycerides, which are used to store fat in the body. As a result, when supplementing with forskolin, you will see a reduction in your overall body fat.

A study in Japan took 14 overweight subjects and had them supplement with a Forskolin-based product for 12 weeks. After the study, the subjects showed a significant decrease in body fat along with the benefits mentioned above. Other studies have resulted in favorable body composition changes.

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